


A Meal Shared

by MedicDuFresne



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship, hector wants a human friend, isaac isnt sure what he wants, set during the year when drac prepares for war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 15:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20212132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedicDuFresne/pseuds/MedicDuFresne
Summary: " Isaac was brought to the castle only a few weeks after Hector, but Hector still had no idea how to interact with the man. He knew Dracula had some wish for them to be friends, but Isaac seemed wholly uninterested in any contact outside of their master. Hector wanted to change that."Hector decides to share a meal with the reclusive forgemaster Isaac with the hopes of getting to know him better.





	A Meal Shared

**Author's Note:**

> I found this wip from back like 10 months ago with only the first like 500 words done and no notes on what I originally had planned. So thanks past me for the help I hope this was where I wanted to go ha.

Just like the rest of the castle, the kitchen was a marvel of technology. Hot water at a moments notice, ovens with an internal flame that never had to be stoked, a tall icebox with ice that never had to be replenished and kept food as fresh as the day it was purchased. These days it’s hard to even remember what it was like cooking in his small house, even if that was only a few months ago.

Hector sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. It was hard not to watch the oven, seeing Dracula’s technology at work was a fascinating sight that he was still getting used to. He turned from the oven to clean his mess from cooking. Another thing he was having to adjust to, he was no longer living by himself and the rest of the castle was so neat, he couldn’t just leave the kitchen a mess.

Though, given the current company of the castle, the mess would probably go unnoticed. A handful of vampires and their growing army of dark creatures would have no real reason to even step foot in the kitchens. But he was still a guest here, even if this castle was going to be his home for the foreseeable future.

Hector hummed to himself while he cleaned, the smell of roasting pork filling the warm room. The kitchen felt like one of the only rooms in the castle that was always warm, the kitchen and Isaac’s forge. Too often Hector had to fight the urge to shiver while walking the dark halls. He imagined there was once warmth here, but that was the whole reason Dracula was going to war with Hector’s kind.

Once the pork had crisped and the rich scent of baked rosemary potatoes filled the kitchen, Hector carefully pulled the food from the oven and plated two servings. He set them aside while he packed away the rest of the meal into the icebox. No sense letting the rest of this go to waste and he had no idea when his next free time to cook would be. Creating an army of the undead was a fulltime job, but Hector knew his own limitations and sometimes he needed to step away from his forge and take care of himself.

Hector took one final look around the kitchen to ensure he hadn’t missed anything then left, a steaming plate in each hand as he walked the halls of Dracula’s castle. He was still learning the layout but could navigate to the key points almost without fail by now. The clacking of his shoes echoed against the stones of the hallway as Hector descended deeper into the castle. He kept his pace brisk, wanting to arrive before the food got cold.

The closer he got to his destination, the warmer the halls around him grew until he approached the ornate dark wood door that stood slightly ajar. Through the crack, a bright red light flashed at the same time an ear-piercing shriek rang out. Hector smiled and shouldered open the door.

“Isaac, busy as always I see,” Hector approached his fellow forgemaster.

The other man briefly glanced over his shoulder at Hector then looked back at his creation, still chanting under his breath as the dark magic twisted and corrupted the flesh of the newly animated corpse. Isaac pulled his forge dagger out of the creature’s heart and stepped back, giving the monster room to roll off the altar and stand. 

The beast shrieked again and lunged at Isaac, weak knees wobbling as its swipe goes wide, adjusted to its new weight. Isaac easily sidestepped the attack and ducked under the creature’s arm with practiced ease, using the momentum to step right into its personal space. In a second his blade was at the creature’s throat and he leaned in, chanting something under his breath directly to the creature. Just as Hector had seen in his own creations, the madness of summoning faded from the eyes of the beast, replaced with a single-minded obedience.

This was the first time he had seen the moment of re-life of Isaac’s creations and it was breathtaking, to say the least. The energy from the summoning felt so different from his own. There was more ragged energy, more anger. To Hector, his creations almost always felt like they were celebrating their second chance at life. But here, the creatures were alive again but they were fighting for it.

Isaac stepped back and waved his new creation away to join the others in the lowest level of the castle, his scarred back gleaming with sweat. Hector waited, a calm smile on his face. Isaac was brought to the castle only a few weeks after Hector, but Hector still had no idea how to interact with the man. He knew Dracula had some wish for them to be friends, but Isaac seemed wholly uninterested in any contact outside of their master. Hector wanted to change that.

“I brought you some dinner. I haven’t seen you out of your forge besides our meetings with Master Dracula, so I figured I would just make a house call,” Hector held out one of the plates for Isaac to take.

“I see,” Isaac’s eyes flicked down towards the food for a brief moment before returning to Hector. Hector could feel that cool gaze picking him apart like another body for the forge. For the life of him, he could not read the stoic man at all.

Hector hesitated, pulling back the plate of food an inch, “Perhaps I should have asked your food preferences before doing this. My apologies, if there’s something you’d rather-”

Isaac lifted his hand and Hector cut himself off, waiting to hear what the other man had to say.

The taller forgemaster’s eyebrow twitched up for a second before his face returned to smooth disinterest. Was that bemusement? Hector could only wait, hesitation and anticipation growing in him in equal measure as Isaac turned and grabbed a bundle of neatly folded cloth next to his forge alter.

Hector stood, steam still rising from the plates as Isaac swiftly redressed. Once finished tying his sash, Isaac reached out and took the offered plate from Hector, “Thank you.”

The simple thanks surprised Hector, though maybe it shouldn’t have, “Ah, right, of course. I meant what I said though, if there are particular dishes you like then please let me know and I’ll see what I can do. I find cooking a nice break from our duties.”

Isaac studied the food closer and Hector felt as if the man’s dark eyes were picking his soul apart rather than the food he made. Those dark eyes flicked up from the food and met his and Hector felt rooted to the spot from the intense gaze, “A useful skill to have in the coming days. I suspect we will be the only ones in the castle with the need to feed as humans do for a long time.”

“R-right, yes, my thoughts exactly,” Hector stuttered out. That was by far the most Isaac had ever said to him directly, much less in a single sentence.

“Come with me,” Isaac left no room to argue as he turned, the light of the fires below the metal grating of the floor catching on the metal of Isaac’s forge blade on his hip.

Hector followed Isaac out of a side door on the other side of the room that he hadn’t noticed. It led into a dimly lit hallway. Based on the dust on the floor only disturbed by what looked like Isaac’s footsteps, it was easy to assume this hallway was mostly unused by the rest of the castle’s inhabitants. Hector couldn’t help but wonder what other secret passages Isaac had mapped out in this remote corner of the castle that he had almost completely to himself.

Hector’s forge was much more centralized in the castle. He had instantly been taken with the small library when first exploring the castle. Dracula had filled many small libraries throughout his domain over the decades, and the one that Hector would eventually call his forge was a specialized library on demons, summoning, and other such subjects. Any rounding out Hector required on his craft could be found in the ancient tomes that lined the walls. Dracula was more than willing to accommodate Hector’s request to convert the space to his forge.

But Isaac had found a space near the roaring fires that powered much of the castle’s machinery deep within the castle. Hector wondered if there was a draw to the fires and seclusion for Isaac if his forge location was chosen in any similar means as his own. Sentimentality seemed like a foreign emotion for the other forgemaster, but Hector didn’t truly know the other man well enough to tell. Yet, at least.

They passed a few thin hallways that branched off their own as well as a handful of closed doors, all so similar looking that Hector could have sworn they had walked in a circle, but before he could ask where they were going, Isaac stopped in front of another one of the similar doors.

Isaac opened the door to a small sitting room with heavy blinds drawn over the windows. It was a quaint room with a fire and two armchairs facing each other, a low table between them. A dark wood liquor cabinet rested against the far wall. The fireplace near the armchairs laid dark and cold, the charred logs looking long dead.

“Take a seat,” Isaac motioned to the chairs. Hector crossed the room and sat in the plush armchair, watching Isaac set his food on the low table then tend to the fireplace until a small flame lit the room and slowly brought warmth back to the cold stones.

Hector’s eyes tracked Isaac’s every movement. From his deft hands striking the flint and steel to the graceful arch of his back as he leaned into the fire to blow on the glowing licks of flame as they caught on the carefully-placed kindling.

“I can feel you staring,” Isaac didn’t turn his attention from the fire, but Hector’s heart leaped into his chest and his face flushed from being caught.

He cleared his throat, feeling the burn of embarrassment in the tips of his ears, “My apologies, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Oh I think you did,” Isaac stood, the flame in the fireplace now a steady fire. He turned and leveled his gaze at Hector and he looked… amused? No that couldn’t be right. “You are curious.”

Hector looked away, unable to stand the piercing truth coming from both Isaac’s eyes and words, “Perhaps I was. I only ever see you in meetings after all. Is it unusual to want to know more about your coworker?”

Hector’s head snapped back to look at Isaac at the sound of a deep but short-lived laugh from the other forgemaster. Had he really just made the other man  _ laugh? _

“We are forgemasters for the great vampire master Dracula, creating armies of the dead for his war against humanity, our own species,” Isaac picked up his plate from the low table and slowly cut into the pork. Belatedly, Hector realized their meals were most likely no longer hot. He brought a piece of meat up to his lips and an almost-smile tugged at his lips, “ _ Coworkers  _ seems like a misnomer.”

Hector couldn’t help but smile, “You have a point,” he conceded, “but we are working together for the same cause. I’d like to know you better. I’ve not met another forgemaster, and it’s likely we’ll be each other's only company during the coming war.”

Isaac hummed a noncommittal noise that might have been agreement. At least the tension was broken, something Hector was exceedingly grateful for.

Conversation throughout their meal was light, but with each new topic, Hector felt like he learned more about the man sat across from him. Halfway through their dinner, Isaac had even pulled out a wine from the antique cabinet and poured them both a glass to go with their meal.

Isaac was… an interesting man. Hector already knew that much, but through their conversation, he learned a bit of Isaacs travels through vast deserts and of how he had crafted his forge dagger. The crafting of a forge tool is an intimate process, something Hector went through himself when creating his hammer. It was a whole new experience sharing this story with someone who knew first-hand the trials of making the tool.

Once their food was finished and Hector felt a pleasant warmth from the company and the wine, Hector asked a question that had been on his mind since the other forgemaster had come to the castle, “Isaac, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you agree to serve Dracula in the war?”

The gentle slope to Isaac’s shoulders as he had slowly relaxed through the evening was suddenly gone, replaced with the same cool rigidity that he normally walked the halls of the castle with. Hector immediately regretted his question, seeing the carefully crafted walls come back up around his new companion, “That is a story for another night.” Isaac answered, his tone carefully monitored.

Hector sighed and rubbed his face, mentally chastising himself for asking such a personal question so soon. He knew his own journey that led him to the willing service of the vampire lord, he could only imagine that Isaac’s path was a similar rocky road. “I am sorry, truly. I should not have asked.”

Isaac stood and collected their dishes, silently arranging them into a careful stack which Hector stewed on his mistake. It was foolish of him to assume Isaac would open up after only one evening. Trust was something to be earned over time, unlike the many reanimated animals he kept in his forge who trusted him so quickly. Sometimes he forgot that humans came with much more baggage.

The other forgemaster interrupted his internal spiral by clearing his throat, “I will deal with the dishes. To return to your forge, follow this hall to the end and take the stairwell on the left. That will bring you back to a more familiar part of the castle.”

“Oh, right, thank you,” Hector couldn’t keep the disappointment from his voice. He stared down at his empty wine goblet hoping that he hadn’t just ruined his only chance to befriend Isaac.

“Hector,” Isaac called from the door to the room. When had he gotten to the door? Had Hector really spaced that much? Perhaps he had more wine than he thought, “I’ve always wanted to try fish.”

They stayed like that for a beat, Isaac half out of the room looking back at Hector while the other man’s mind tried to catch up at a rapid pace. He had always wanted… did that mean Isaac wanted to do this again? Had Hector not actually ruined everything with one mistimed question?

“Fish,” Hector repeated, staring back at him, “I can do that.”

Isaac simply nodded then turned and left the room, taking their dishes from dinner with him and leaving Hector alone with a tingle of hope that spread through his chest. Okay, maybe he didn’t mess everything up as badly as he thought. He had no idea who he needed to talk to about getting a decent fillet of fish in the kitchen, but he was determined to find out. Or maybe he should just go out and catch something himself? Either way, he was filled with a new energy. There were a few recipes from his youth that he could try, and making a couple of test dishes would probably be in his best interest to nail down the flavors, especially if Isaac had never had fish before.

Hector poked the gently glowing remnants of the almost-gone fire to separate the logs and make the fire burn down faster while making a mental list of everything he would need. How had he never questioned how the kitchen was always stocked with food? He would hate to bother Dracula with such a trivial question, but he was weary around the rest of the castle’s inhabitants, most of whom still eyed him like a meal-in-waiting. But he would figure it out, he was sure in his conviction to befriend the other forgemaster.

The next step, though, was simply finding his way back to his forge. The path that Isaac mentioned would help but this place was still a twisting labyrinth. At least now as Hector strode down the hallway, away from the secret little sitting room, the walls felt a little less cold.


End file.
